“Participants would have the unique opportunity to tap into the experience of globally recognised thought leaders, to learn from peers in a collaborative learning environment…,” reads the mission statement.

Among the globally recognised thought leaders providing gyan at the gab-fest are the likes of economist Jeffrey Sachs, technologist Nandan Nilekani and columnist Thomas L. Friedman.

In session “S20″, on the concluding day of the conclave, “Mr Shankar” is expected to throw kindly light between 10.45 and 11.30 am. Not all IITians are enthused by the thought. Below is the full text of a press release issued by “PanIIT Ravi Shankar Protest Committee”:

***

The mantra of PanIIT conclave for this year is “Sustainable Transformation: our new India”.

Will Ravi Shankar be able to help us in being a role model in achieving this objective? Even a cursory glance at his achievement sans all the spin by the media will show how IIT alumni will be totally misled and get the wrong message.

PanIIT conclave is an opportunity to send strong messages by inviting those leaders who have been successful in projecting good values. Ravi Shankar has certainly been a superb salesman in marketing sudarshan kriya. His Art of Living foundation has been successful in earning huge profits while being a charitable organization.

Unfortunately, the values represented by his activities are not the ones for us to emulate. Especially when corruption is the top agenda item in India preventing the proper development of India, should we invite some one like Ravi Shankar?

Would we invite Ambani brothers despite their enormous wealth to give a talk on values and sustainability?

In one of the satsangs, when he was asked about global warming and climate change, Ravi Shankar seriously compared it to the Y2K problem, and how Y2K was not a problem and so also global warming. Either he was not aware of the enormous efforts by the world to avoid Y2K or he gave a wrong analogy.

When he was asked how to solve Kashmir problem, his “insightful” comment was that youth should get involved. Was it supposed to be a joke?

While the web sites of AOL give all the information about how to enroll for basic and advanced courses, how he has been involved in solving all the world problems like Iraq, Kashmir, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, there is no information on what happens to millions it has earned or the assets it has accumulated over the years.

It is true AOL does help the poor, educate the needy and supports worth causes. So do many of our corrupt political leaders and unethical businessmen. Do such acts of goodwill wash their sins?

Any charitable organisation seeking donation is expected to be transparent and publish its accounts. Why has AOL not published them? Has it paid any income taxes on its earnings as any business activity would? What kind of values it transmits when there is no transparency?

It is possible to give a long list of reasons why inviting Ravi Shankar was a wrong decision. But the above short explanation should be more than adequate. Some of us protestors, even at the risk of being rude to an invited guest (we do feel guilty), wanted to send a message to organisers to be more vigilant in inviting the right kind of people for future conclaves. We also invite attendees even at this late stage to show our disappointment by not attending the event where Ravi Shankar would be speaking.

79 Responses to “What what can can Sri Sri tell tell IITians IITians?”

I fully support PanIIT Ravi Shankar Protest Committee. He has not done any great achievement except grabbing lands in and around Bangalore. He is a looter. He should be kicked out of the PanIIT. IITs are the symbol of innovation. I don’t who invited koja ravi shankar

Ravi Ravi has several media channels and news paper in india under his spell. Or rather he spends quite a lot of money on them, from the charity money of course. Most of the media spin around his organization’s activities will amount to just that – publicity stunts.
But the guru has the rare talent or siddhi of being famous for being famous. He is the rakhi sawanth of the guru set.

AOL for profit? Non-profit does not mean that you have to operate under loss then take your begging bowl all over the place. Probably IITians should invite neo liberal Arundhati Roy and she will probably tell these IITians that IIT should only admit Pakis and Kashmiris

What has His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji Maharaj has to do with Hinduism?

Ravi Shankar is a con businessman who is filling his coffers by fleecing the spiritually gullible crowd. BTW, he always claims his organization to be secular. So why are you tacking his name on Hinduism?

To read the truth about him and his organization read this blog created by his ex disciples:

As an ex-IITian (1995 batch), I am on the mailing list and have been in touch with some of the people involved in this meeting. As the article says, this is about growth focused on sustainability, picking the brains of industry leaders and policy makers, those whose life blood is in these industries and in conservation.

There are people who have been doing an enormous amount of real work and have shown results, like Rajendra Singh, leading industrialists like Carl Bass and Harpal Singh, and people who *do* stuff.

Ravi Shankar is there because it makes the summit look good and spiritual, and he has a tremendous amount of influence in these circles.

Tell me what sustainable development has he done, and what industry knowledge does he have, except running the high profit making AOL corporation by selling expensive courses to gullible fools and promising “guru’s grace and blessings”? Before you accuse me, no I am not a commie, I am a staunch Hindu.

Thank God we have few guys like you who would support a fellow Hindu just because he is a Hindu with no further questions asked. May your tribe increase. Pl. pass on your ph. number and email id. I am a staunch Hindu and I am in dire need of help and support please – the thing is I recently founded a company and duped many of the investors. Not much..let me tell you. Just a few crores. Now those jokers(investors) and the court are out to get me just because I am a Hindu. See how unfair is the world.

@Deepak: About the finances, most well managed spiritual or religious organisations in India have very transparent accounts. In fact, they are audited and published in print and in their reports. Ramakrishna mission for example sends me annual reports with detailed accounts.

The very fact that you need to invoke RTI or approach income tax for these AOL / VVK / IAHV accounts means something is not right. Even with RTI, you will not get all the accounts because there is so much unaccounted money flowing between these organisations, what is audited is not complete.

The last time I took an AOL part-1 course in 2003 in Jayanagar, we were asked to pay in cash, no receipt was issued and it was treated as a donation, the teacher simply made a note in her notebook. Where is all this money going? It is not accounted for, No tax invoice is issued. No cheques were accepted.

I also regularly donate to other organisations, so I am used to the processes. I always get an official receipt, I can pay by cheque or DD or inter bank transfer also. This way I know all my donations are accounted for. Not in AOL.

…most IIITians will join IIMs later and work as Corporate/Investment Bankers…SSRS being a good sales guy, his presence will help them anyway…hufff…if at all you guys wanted to join IIMs, why deprive others an opportunity at the IITs???

I am neither a supporter or critique of Sri Sri. I don’t bother about him and neither does he bother about me! However, I am willing to assume that most of you are right about Sri Sri that he has plundered crores and crores of money (what exactly for?). Now tell me,
1. What about IIT-ians? Government has spent crores and crores of money on them and what exactly have they repaid the society? Are they any different from Sri Sri in that respect? May be in your estimates, Sri Sri has accumulated more than IIT-ians!
2. A conclave sponsored by a scotch and beer brand? What are we having here? An intellectual seminar or an IPL party?
3. Keeping all corruption or looting claims (any different from the politicians and corporate head honchos attending the conclave), any other reason for Sri Sri not to participate? His leads a BIG organisation (good or bad, who cares as much as the rest of the entities goes!) and hence deserves to be called as a CEO of a big organisation to speak about starting a big organsation and running it!
If you are getting into the ‘Good and bad stuff’, give the same treatment to rest of them including shiela dixit or anil Ambani!

“I am neither a supporter or critique of Sri Sri. I don’t bother about him and neither does he bother about me! ”
Balaji –
I don’t mind dumb people getting cheated by this thug. But what bothers me is tax cuts and free land he gets from the govt.

Great post… between, AOL is one ginormous scam running across the world. Because spiritually gullible rich people are so much after star-hotel-hosted-packaged-spiritualism, organization like AOL is flourishing. In fact, AOL adapts a locally acceptable motif. For e.g. songs praising Krishna are sung in a pop-based atmosphere in Europe or in Argentina.
Example is below

What kind of spiritualism is this and why is AOL encouraging such blasphemy on Hinduism? and the most of it all, we are Indians (Hindus in particular) blind to such stuff?

On the other hand, for the amount of money that AOL makes, what it does is a popcorn-charity, while, atleast 100 time or more could potentially be done.

In US, such AOL events happen in Hindu temples everywhere on weekends and they try to drag the priests of the temples reluctantly into teaching kids some sanskrit slokas or prayers. I don’t know if its right or wrong, but, after talking to the priest, he feels that it was a needless pollution in a temple atmosphere. But, AOL has strong relation with the temple management committee, perhaps, some money gets ploughed into greasing the temple management committee too.

AOL is a business model shaped up on the models of Amway/Quixtar. Spirituality as such as dying especially in the richer class, so, AOL designed a tailor-made version of what they think as spirituality to please the “rich” section of the people. It absolutely operates like a cult.

I would love to see an organization like AOL exposed and perish one day

When I took the Art of Living program during my IIT days, one of the things that the instructor said, stuck with me: at other colleges he said, the kids *think* they are smart … but at IIT, the kids *know* they are smart! ☺ Armed with this knowledge that IITians are smart people, I find it hard to believe that so many of us could be conned to accept Sri Sri Ravishankar as a great humanitarian who has transformed scores of lives through his teachings, simply on the basis of “spin by the media” as claimed in the post.

Without meaning to belittle the enormous contribution of IITians to many economies and corporations, IITians have in a majority of cases not stood for something bigger than capitalist achievements. But in the Art of Living there are more than 30 IITians and equal number of IIM graduates and they virtually run the whole organization. ** Isn’t inspiring so many bright minds, trained to achieve individual success, to work selflessly for a bigger cause, in itself a fit case-study in transformation?! ** And further imagine what impact it could have if the same inspiration can come to the large number of hugely successful IITians at pan-IIT … just THAT possibility itself is a good enough reason to listen to what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has to say.

On a personal level, in more than a decade of my association with the Art of Living, I have not only participated in a number of programs but also helped to organize quite a few, both in India and while studying and working in the US. In all cases, I have got receipts for the contributions made by me, and so have the other people on these programs. All the trusts are audited both internally and externally. Interested parties who want to donate can always come and get the details.

I have tremendous respect and admiration for Sri Sri, not only for his wisdom and the much-needed spiritual succor and direction that he continues to provide to a world that is strife-torn and lost, but also for his organizational abilities that have reached over 150 countries with a message of peace and human values that India has always stood for. Its time that we as proud Indians start to respect and learn from the heroes we have.

Slowly people are realizing the Guru Business.
This Ravi Shankar Maharaj never gives proper or satisfactory answer of any question. Just give GOLMAL answer to everything and his supporters thinks that their Guru is Knowledge King.
He is pursuing Noble Prizer for last 6 years. He is businessman.

“Isn’t inspiring so many bright minds, trained to achieve individual success, to work selflessly for a bigger cause, in itself a fit case-study in transformation?! ”

You mean bigger causes like diverting charity funds to family owned enterprises. Soudamini Realestate, Inwinex pharma, sumeru solutions are all family and inner coterie owned business of Ravishankar and family. Whom are you trying to fool. What anti capitalists are you talking about when the guru ravishankar has no qaulms hobnobbing with real estate, political and miniing mafias. Ravishankar is part of the corruption dear sir.
I am an IIT Btech myself (Chennai 1990 batch). IIT does not give you any special discriminiation facility to avoid being gulliable. That said I am not suggesting that IIT and IIM folks who work for Ravishankar are gulliable. They have a tryst with his business. I have found several IITians not able to sustain the pressures of earning a honest living going to work for questionable organization. It is an easy way out and you can find them in many groups from kalki bagwan, sai baba, nithyananda and many others.

The negative comments are by people who want to take shortcut to success .You abuse a great man and gain instant fame. Indian Spiritual leaders are easy targets because they won’t retaliate .It could be a much bigger conspiracy to defame Hinduism itself ,supported by God knows whom all.

The people who are so keen on cleaning the society can first take on the politicians and try to expose them.The frauds are running into Billions but coach potato activists ( CPAS )will prefer to keep quiet rather than face a situation where accusations will not be ignored .

There are millions of people who have experienced peace and joy due to AOL programmes .However instead of trying to emulate it even for their kith and kin these CPAS are keen on gaining 2 minutes of their fame.

It will heartening to read the difference CPAS have made to society and how they paln to sustain in it in next 20-30 years .

To quote Lincoln ” Do not ask what ur country has done for u,ask what u hv done for the country. I would advise the CPAS ” do not ask what AOL is doing,ask urself what good u r doing .

being from IIT ,u will be brilliant people. Pl direct ur brilliance and energy for doing positive work rather than writing negative blogs.

Even as PanIIT was winding down, there was “double sri” Ravi Shankar on U tube at PanIIT conclave. While googling for PanIIT conclave 2010, I found only two new items.

But for a news item on the inauguration by the President, the only other entry on the latest news on on PanIIT conclave was the totally superficial mumbo jumbo on Indian philosophy and how it was applicable for sustainable transformation by double sri. This only proves the point made by Shobha and others above the disciples of IITians. Some questions to ponder about:

1. Is it the case that during three day conclave, the only item of any interest was a speech by the double sri?

2. Who prepared this third rate You-tube on the double sri and put on the internet?

3. There was supposed to be protest against the invitation of double sri. Did it take place and how many participants take part in that protest?

4. Double sri was repeatedly “begging” for questions from the audience and not many showed interest. Why?

5. Even those two who finally asked the questions looked like the planted questions. Who could have planted them?

@ Jagadish,
Do we have similar records of the numerous Christist orgs that function in this country? Folks who demand the records of AoL & the ilk need to maintain a balanced view in their demands. Leave alone the records of christists, nobody probably can pin point the exact source of funds, other than that its foreign!!!

It looks like the only answer from AOL for their corruption is – the christian missionarries are doing it so we entitled to do it. Most people commenting against AOL have no love for christian missionaries. They have been hurt by AOL because of all the flasehood and fraud where their good intentions and service mindset have been taken for a ride by a fraud guru and his coterie.

>>The negative comments are by people who want to take shortcut to success .You abuse a great man and gain instant fame. Indian Spiritual leaders are easy targets because they won’t retaliate .It could be a much bigger conspiracy to defame Hinduism itself ,supported by God knows whom all.

The people who are so keen on cleaning the society can first take on the politicians and try to expose them.The frauds are running into Billions but coach potato activists ( CPAS )will prefer to keep quiet rather than face a situation where accusations will not be ignored <<

Brother, when I last looked up majority of the politicians in India were Hindus. Don't you think this shrill allegation against them about corruption, nepotism, mis-governance, duping the public and so on is either a western conspiracy or a native one with blessings from Vatican or Kabah. They are unfairly being targeted and their fair name being tarnished merely because they happen to be Hindus.

I think we should all come together to protect them and Sri Sri as they have much in common with each other – including the noble deed of not publishing their book of accounts.

Vivek,
Negative comments are mostly from people who have first hand experience of AOL.
I am Hindu, but I will certainly criticize anything wrong that I feel about other Hindu. Its wrong to save your own caste/religion/language people, even if you think that they are wrong.
Negative comments will help the persons who do not know about AOL to critically analysis both sides before taking interest in the organisation. Because so far only goody goody face is displayed.
Let people take their own decision about AOL after viewing all sides.

This one is for Mahesh
Dear Mahesh,
Do you even know who a saint is? SSRS is definitely not one. He is neither enlightened nor is a true saint. He is a publicity mongerer, likes the celebrity connections and does popcorn charity once in a while. He exploits people in the name of spirituality, adapts the local motif to sell all the AOL products, travels first class everytime. Most of the AOL conferences are held in star hotels or big convention centres or even on cruise ships. Tell me how that falls under spiritualism. Please open up ur eyes and don’t be so gullible to fall for a whore selling what he thinks as “spirituality”.

I could get this information after reading this post is that there are some hardliners, and some hardcore lovers of Double Sri. Without naming anyone, I would like to to say only few things.

* Has the audit system be so transparent and *PEOPLE* more transparent, we would not have trillions of dollars in benami account of Swiss banks. I think I don’t need to give the proof.

* If I remember correctly, he adopted some 3-4 villages after Tsunami, and donated around 400-500 crores for rehabilitation. I think this amount is a peanut for him. If I earn an amount x, I can at max donate 0.2-0.3X.. not more than that.

* No profit no loss means, you have paid all the wages to your employees, all expenditures in publicity, all input costs, and the selling of product just matches the ALL kind of costs incurred. Well, this includes the CEO’s package also… PLEASE CORRECT ME.
May be double sri is the most costliest CEO in the world…!!

* Ignorant is Bliss. So, we common people remain ignorant, and the Bliss is for these so called transformers, ritual leaders, politicians, and big business mouths.

Finally, my best wishes for Double Sri, getting Nobel Peace Prize. At least one Nobel prize will come to an Indian working at India. Everyone knows, The organizers of this award committee hate Indians and Indian people’s contribution. So, obviously one has to raise above Hinduism, above India.. one has to become GLOBAL and do all illegal things under the carpet… to ensure high publicity of work.

We have loot all around. Everyone is involved in looting, so is Swamy Nityanand, Bheemananad, Suresh Kalmadi, Politicans, Ambani’s… We must not say anything bad to Double Sri… if he does the same. He must do.

How can you say that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji is not an enlightened master? Do you even know what is enlightenment? Only an enlightened person can recognize another enlightened being. Do you want to say that you are enlightened? What arrogance !!

Dear Mahesh,
Please suggest names of enlightened people that come to your mind immediately. I would really like to meet them.

Or I may suggest, you should seek them at the heights of Himalayas, in the caves. I think you are looking at wrong places. None of the enlightened people build an empire or a business conglomerate or sell their “gyaan” for $$$$$.

And if you are willing to pay money, Double Sri might even spoon-feed “spirituality that you might like to gobble up”

A. SSRS is one swami that understands socio-politics. He does not wish to stay as a secular, “All religions are same”-crap swami only (even though he may teach some gobbely-gook of that kind). There is another side to SSRS, and that is running Sri Sri Center for Media Studies, a venture aimed at creating reporters sympathetic to the Hindu movements. Sri Sri has been funding and organizing exhibitions all over the nation, not on Vedanta, but on Shivaji and the Hindu Partition Holocaust. The Mainstream Media thugs that lurk and comment on this forum know all this. The media has been looking for opportunities for a pretty long time to nail Sri Sri. For the past few years, Sri Sri has been apprising his spiritual followers on such mundane issues.

Every Hindu saint that has gone the way Sri Sri has embarked on has got his fingers burnt, be it Kanchi Shankaracharya or Baba Ramdev.

The pseudo-secularists are scared of swami, who till the 80s-90s blessed Congress politicians in return for their trusts not be roller-coasted by Governments. Quite a few Swamis have been standing up to this sycophant behaviour in the 21st century. Sri Sri is one Swami that the Secular Media hasn’t been able to roast comprehensively on National Television. He has been too good for them. So far, at least.

Meghana,
That’s a clever way of diverting attention from the fraud commited by people like Ravishankar. Even goebbels would be proud of this thing. Most people who are critical of AOL are hindus and right wing at that. Especially the people who have given many years of their lives to this fraud organization whose main aim they have realized first hand is hedging charity money to personal enterprises. Check the personal wealth of the sri sri inner coterie. Check soudamini real estate, their fraud inwinesx pharma, sumeru solutions. The sri stri center of media studies you talk about is small certification program in journalism another money making enterprise.
If Sri sri represnts the best of hinduism i am sorry about the state of hinduism. I am sorry that the religion of vivekananda and aurobindo has degenrated into amway-hinduism. But fortunately hinduism is too vast a a religion and which is a way of life. It is thtiving the people and their practices and temples and rituals. Fortunately frauds like sri sri cannot be the popes of hinduism. There are far greater individuals and organizations of hindus who have far more outreach and integrity than ravishankars and nithayandas put together. It is the media smokescreen bubbles which these frauds have created that makes brainwashed followers of ravishankar to make such outlandish statements if saving hinduism and all that. what rubbish.

I never said I am a follower of Ravi Shankar. I have never experiences their pranayam/yoga programs either. Your assumptions about me tell everything about the assumptions you probably have made about Ravi Shankar and his organization. In an age of aggressive, sensationalist news coverage, I am surprised to see why people like you and so many others on this forum do not do a little bit of research and expose the man? The media will be more than willing to go to bed with you if you can unearth something even remotely close to a scam. Till then, you are all but hot air with no substance.

Double Sri is person with ambitions of winning Noble Peace prize, having followers are around the world who continues to do different courses repeatedly, pay donations without asking for its right application and say yes to whatever sri sri and his brain washed Rishi/Swami speaks.
What is Art of Living:
No proper Yoga. Every teacher teach his/her own version.
Knowledge points: Repeat whatever memorized at TTC.
Sudarshan Kriya: Hyperventilation. (Those who done the SK, please check the hyperventilation and compare your experience of Kriya)
Miracle stories of Sri Sri are impressed upon the participants.
Token charity projects are highlighted to earn donations.
Its sick organisation (with few good people as volunteers)

Meghna,
One does not have to investigate and expose the fraud that is going on. A mere look at the AOL website, is certain to repel any person with even an average IQ. I am only appalled to see “stressed” people fall for “remedies”, while, beating “stress” might be as simple as an everyday jog for 3 kms and sitting down in quietness for 15 minutes. But the lifestyle has changed so much that the benefits of what this simple discipline could do has to be “bought” in the name of “spirituality” from AOL.

And as far as what they are doing to Hinduism is abhorrent. Hinduism has gone to the Amway-style marketers in the name of AOL. I would celebrate in style, once an organization like this is brought down.

It is nothing but sheer hatred for Ravi Shankar that people on this forum have been spitting. The basis of terming the man is a fraud is “mere look at the AOL website” or supposedly manipulated balance-sheets – except hard proof!

Frankly, with a lazy bunch of fools that can repeat the same inanities ad nauseam, why would anyone need better enemies?

None of you have provided anything of substance that can convince a discerning mind of what you repeatedly assert. In fact, such smear tactics end up generating an opposite bias – that Ravi Shankar is more of a victim than a fraud that he is being made out to be.

Meghna,
Looks like you are bent on mud-slinging trip to here with ur “lazy bunch of fools”. it would not take long to use such phrases on you in return. But, then, there is a difference.

All I was saying that even a visit to the website is so replusive. I am not here to investigate the scams running in AOL. That cat would come out of the bag sooner or later. But, my point is here only to say that the business that AOL runs in the name of spirituality is very visible by mere visit to the website.

***

If you thought that I am here to investigate and provide proof, you are wrong. I am here only to critique the way AOL functions as a “spiritual organization”, which quite frankly stinks.
If you are comfortable spending $$$$ for meditation courses and hail your JGD, God help you.

Please try to understand what I said first. All I am saying is that from the mere visit to the website one could understand that how it functions and why is it difficult to associate spirituality with an organization such as AOL.

This is all I have been saying. I am sure there is going to be half-baked replies to this. I am not wasting time on you guys anymore.

Unlike you they may not have any hidden agenda. Thats why I guess everything is laid out openly so that a mere visit to their website will enlighten you.

>and why is it difficult to associate spirituality with an organization such as AOL.

The organisation I guess is incorporated to conduct business of spirituality. I see a lot of happy customers, if you have bought something from them and if you are not happy with the product’s quality, quantity, utility, aesthetics, etc., I suggest you please ask for a refund.

> The organisation I guess is incorporated to conduct business of spirituality. I see a lot of happy customers, if you have bought something from them and if you are not happy with the product’s quality, quantity, utility, aesthetics, etc., I suggest you please ask for a refund.

@Hari: I think you nailed it.

Art of Living is a business and there is nothing wrong in doing a business or making money.

Unfortunately, Art of Living themselves are shy of accepting this fact.

Blacklad, I think you should start a movement called ‘The Art of Thriving’ under the aegis of AOL!

I enjoyed reading the spirited arguments between Meghana, Nithya-Rotti and a few others. I am willing to put up the money to get A Roy breathing normally under Sri Sri in his ashram? Wait a sec, did someone say Nithyananda?!!

No Sire, he aint nailed nothing. Following is what Hari said in one single breath, without any facts/proofs

> He is a publicity mongerer
>likes the celebrity connections
>does popcorn charity once in a while
>He exploits people in the name of spirituality
> adapts the local motif to sell all the AOL products
> travels first class everytime.
>AOL conferences are held in star hotels or big convention centres or even on cruise ships.
>open up ur eyes and don’t be so gullible
>to fall for a whore
>selling what he thinks as “spirituality”.

‘I am always on the side of business which creats jobs & pulls people out of poverty. The business can be material, spiritual or virtual…..’

Can’t disagree with you on that. Probably you meant ‘legitimate’ business – which precludes business activities such as Mafia, Illegal mining, bootlegging, poaching, duping and Ponzi scheme variety. Even otherwise it is fair enough as the aim is to pull the people (mainly self) out of poverty.

‘The organisation I guess is incorporated to conduct business of spirituality.’

This again is incontestable. I am with you on this.

But I don’t know if AOL people really pitch it that way or pull the heavy transformative wool over the eyes of the would-be bhaktas. Let them make money as long as the flock clearly knows they are merely buying spiritual goods for a price and there is nothing spectacular and selfless in it to hector for Nobel peace prize for the CEO/CSO.

>But I don’t know if AOL people really pitch it that way or pull the heavy transformative wool over the eyes of the would-be bhaktas. Let them make money as long as the flock clearly knows they are merely buying spiritual goods for a price

Caveat emptor…….

>hector for Nobel peace prize for the CEO/CSO.

Why not, whats wrong in this. Lobbying is a perfectly legal activity. FYI CEO/CSO do get padmas and other birudus for doing their day job. I think you are not yet exposed to maha gyaan like corporate social responsibilty, compassionate capitilism, etc.

Meghna, if you have spent even 1% of your time spent here on visiting AOL’s website, you could have got proofs that would satiate you until your demise that AOL is pretty much a business of what they call as “spirituality”.

You should look at their menu card during the Guru Poornima times… spl. pooja with SSRS will be listed at a different price tag, while the same pooja if you do with someone lesser in the AOL heirarchy wd be listed differently.

I could go adding on, but, yeah, you get the point. If you still don’t, I think you are suffering from a mental block that is hard to get rid of.

I am telling he is a Spirituality-whore based on these facts. You may recall that “SSRS shooting incident in the Bangalore long back and how much of publicity he sought for AOL after that with the media out of an incident blown out of proportions”…

Dudes and dudettes, its nauseating to even think of what that runs in AOL

Dear Mahesh,
Being Hindu is not a crime. Being a saint is also not a crime. SSRS is not one. That is the point. I am a staunch Hindu at that one and cannot stand these pseudo-saints take the religion to the dogs

Agree with you again. These Gurus/swamis/enlightened souls have a right to deal in the business of spirituality. At the same time they can also do the lobbying for all the awards, land etc in the garb of uplifting the soul, poor and what not. So many others are doing it any way and hypocracy isn’t any one’s exclusive asset.

Hari,

What’s your gripe? What’s the problem if these guys make some decent money? AOL has every right to run this business as long as it has takers. It is the market economy. There are sellers as long as there are buyers.

All you can insist on is that they have registered themselves as a legit business entity and pay the taxes on profit accordingly. Don’t they hold AGM regularly and publish quarterly reports?

1. Why the ‘enlightened Master’ has to dye his hairs to look attractive?
2. Why he is lobbying for last 6 years for Noble Peace Prize? What is importance of such Prize for the Saint?
3. He has spread hundreds of miracle stories through his swamis/teachers/volunteers, all says that he is God, he knows everything, then why he gave some funny and contradictory statements at the time of so called attack on him? He tried to gain publicity and sympathy from such event?
4. No problem if he is earning millions or billions by his courses. But, why label them charity to evade Taxes?
5. Why ‘Seva’ means only to bring more and more people to Art of Living Courses?
6. Why he supported and predicted win of BJP in Lokasabha, in his close meeting? Why he is not doing it openly?
7. Why his products, Ayurvedic, Courses, photos, books etc. are so costly? Standard reason is to use the money for charity. But, isn’t it charity to supply the products to people at reasonable rates? Why charity is forced on them?
8. Why he is running Sri Sri Vidya Mandir which is fully profit making institute? Only 2-3 charity schools to attract donations? What is the need to indirectly run Matrimony services, travel agency, export of books, medicines?

First time ever in the World, a Grand Symphony of a 1000 Sitarists – Raag Hansadhwani – conceived by AoL’s Ravi Shankar.

Ravi Shankar is all over the place, doing a lot more than just collecting money for his Yoga/Pranayama programs, influencing a lot of people, and is apparently pro-Hindutva. Unfortunately for the Congress, it wants to hog all celebrities and influencers. If Ravi Shankar does not want to be Congress sycophant, he should be smeared with as much as mud as possible.

Truly Ravishankar is all over the place. According to today’s ToI he was last spotted singing paens to Pakistan across the Wagah border. Sadly Kuldip Nayyar and his gang were missing along with their well-lit candles swaying gently in the breeze of friendship that often wafts across the border.

The news caption actually reads ‘Sri^2 foresees a wave of Aman ki Asha from Pak’. It goes on to add that he delivered his healing talk from the border and the gates swung open. Then there were multitudes of surging men, women, kids across the Pak border with placards hailing the Great Soul who would deliver them from Islam, tyranny, mis-governance, Zardari Miyan and ISI (not necessarily in that order).

The double Sri then went on to add ‘ Our countries may be different but our hearts should beat for each other’. Thus in one fell swoop he solved the Indo-pak problem by making them Siamese twins.

It was touching to see the blasted ToI, that epitome of evil, sickularist and hater of Hindus, endorsing whole heartedly our Pro-Hindutva hero.

I laugh at your ignorance and temerity to ask such silly questions. Nevertheless the Master has chosen to speak through me. Here are the answers embedded. Vats, you need 10^2 courses of AoL just to open your heart and valet to receive the wisdom. Do it asap.

1. Why the ‘enlightened Master’ has to dye his hairs to look attractive?

The Dark Vadhyar needs to have matching hair you silly man/woman. Plus it is a clever product placement for Keo Karpin and Godrej.

2. Why he is lobbying for last 6 years for Noble Peace Prize? What is importance of such Prize for the Saint?

What’s your problem I say? Look at it from Sri Sri’s persspective. By winning this prize, he would like to bless it and confer legitimacy and greater honour on the stupid prize itself. Dear you don’t know how the saints work.

3. He has spread hundreds of miracle stories through his swamis/teachers/volunteers, all says that he is God, he knows everything, then why he gave some funny and contradictory statements at the time of so called attack on him? He tried to gain publicity and sympathy from such event?

Hahaha..so you bought the media story? Again wake up my child. It was a deliberate ploy by Sri Sri to expose the media and have a little fun on the side. Ofc he knew all about the episode as he himself had orchestrated it. He is God you see, so you know he did it..

4. No problem if he is earning millions or billions by his courses. But, why label them charity to evade Taxes?

What use are Taxes? Tell me do you get anything from Govt? Why pay it and why not evade it? In any case no scriptures have ever talked about any Income Tax or Corporate Tax Ever. So no sin committed.

5. Why ‘Seva’ means only to bring more and more people to Art of Living Courses?

It’s actually ‘Shave’. You ought to read it properly. In that case, more the merrier no?

6. Why he supported and predicted win of BJP in Lokasabha, in his close meeting? Why he is not doing it openly?

You want everything to be openly telecast like a reality show like Bigg Boss? Everything done openly? You are being naughty here I say! Isn’t there something called privacy in this land? If a party would listen to Daivajnya Somayaji, Katte Mele Kunta Byra etc, then why not him?

7. Why his products, Ayurvedic, Courses, photos, books etc. are so costly? Standard reason is to use the money for charity. But, isn’t it charity to supply the products to people at reasonable rates? Why charity is forced on them?

See first of all He wants to fill the sad void in your life with His presence – by way of Shampoo, creams, books, videos, YouTube, photos, courses, TV, paper and cream wafers. He wants to be everywhere around you and any price is too less for that you ungrateful man/woman full of Avidya.

It’s not charity my friend. It’s like drugs to the junkies. So it better be costly. That’s his concern for the society which you sadly don’t understand.

8. Why he is running Sri Sri Vidya Mandir which is fully profit making institute? Only 2-3 charity schools to attract donations? What is the need to indirectly run Matrimony services, travel agency, export of books, medicines?

Why..He wants to be everywhere and He wants you to feel His presence everywhere. So dear friend, the question you should be asking is why He is not running Banks, Malls, Mutual funds, Toll booths, Mom and Pop shops, Beauty parlours and Hopcoms amongst many other business activities.

V nice! 30 years 160 countries millions of lives changed 30,000 villages transformed and jackasses still trying to find the reason behind this amazing phenomenon while the man continues to work tirelessly rather than being busy in passing comments.
U rock Sri Sri!!

“V nice! 30 years 160 countries millions of lives changed 30,000 villages transformed and jackasses still trying to find the reason behind this amazing phenomenon while the man continues to work tirelessly rather than being busy in passing comments.
U rock Sri Sri!!”